The present application relates generally to communications services and, more particularly, to digital data services and related methods, systems, and computer program products.
Voice telephone and high speed digital data service may be provided at a customer site (such as a residence) over a single communications loop (such as a twisted wire pair) between the customer site and a central office switch operated by a telephone service provider. Accordingly, communications loops originally provided for voice telephone service may now also provide high speed digital data service (e.g., digital subscriber line or DSL service). Because the communications loops were not originally provided with the intention of supporting high speed digital data service, high speed digital data service may be degraded by factors such as line length, taps, splices, electromagnetic interference (EMI), etc. Stated in other words, quality, speed, and/or availability of digital data service at different customer sites may vary due to differences in the respective communications loops providing service thereto.
Accordingly, the service provider may wish to predict an ability to provide digital data service at a customer site over a respective communications loop (such as a twisted wire pair) before actually attempting to provide digital data service to the customer site over the communications loop. If the service provider predicts that digital data service will not be available at the customer site (due to excessive line length, taps, splices, EMI, etc.), the service provider may reduce expense, time, and/or customer frustration that may otherwise result from an unsuccessful attempt to establish digital data service at the customer site. If the service provider predicts that only a lower speed digital data service will be available at the customer site, the service provider may reduce customer dissatisfaction by informing the client that only the lower speed digital data service will be available before setting the service up. If the service provider predicts that a highest speed digital data service will be available at the customer site, the customer may be offered a range of service speeds at a respective range of prices (e.g., with low speed digital data service being offered at relatively low prices, with intermediate speed digital data services being offered at intermediate prices, and with high speed digital data services being offered at relatively high prices). Stated in other words, a communications loop may be qualified for digital data service based on a prediction of a level of digital data service (if any) that should be available over the communications loop before providing the digital data service.
Qualification of a DSL communications loop is discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,113,482 to Veeneman entitled “Systems And Methods For Performing DSL Loop Qualification.” As discussed in the Veeneman '482 patent, digital subscriber line (DSL) performance on an existing telephone communications loop may be predicted by obtaining a topological description of the existing telephone communications loop and identifying a loop equivalent to the existing telephone communications loop from the topological description of the existing telephone communications loop. DSL performance may then be determined for the equivalent loop. From the DSL performance for the equivalent loop, DSL performance for the existing telephone communications loop may be predicted. Loop qualification is also discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,020,246 to Gao et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,870,899 to Lu et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,643,266 to Pugaczewski, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,468 to Sanderson.